With high mountains covering half of the nation, landlocked Tajikistan would like to become the Switzerland of Central Asia, exporting hydroelectricity to its neighbors. But first it has to generate enough power to avoid more winters of electricity rationing at home.

Wearing a hard hat in publicity photos, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon wants to be his nation’s builder-in-chief.

In September, he inaugurated the world’s tallest flagpole. Next year, he wants to start building the world’s tallest dam. Called Rogun, it would rise almost as high as the Empire State Building.

Designed to be the biggest hydroelectric plant in Central Asia, this $2 billion project could end power shortages at home, and export excess electricity around Central Asia, to Afghanistan and on to Pakistan.

Muhiddin Kabiri, who leads Tajikistan’s opposition Islamic Revival Party, says after the government sold $200 million worth of dam construction bonds to people in this poor country last year, dam-building has to start soon or the government will lose face.

Daily Life in Tajikistan

Water is the lifeblood for Central Asia, a region where the population has doubled since the Soviet Union collapsed 20 years ago. Tajik cotton fields and fruit orchards will be guaranteed irrigation water.

But downstream from the dam, Uzbekistan fears for its crops. It wants to stop Rogun.